Rafael Nadal showed class and nobility by risking further injury and sticking it out to the end despite his aching back.

Rafael Nadal showed class and nobility by risking further injury and sticking it out to the end despite his aching back.

Photo: Aaron Favila, Associated Press

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Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka celebrates after his victory against Spain's Rafael Nadal during the men's singles final on day 14 of the 2014 Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 26, 2014. AFP PHOTO / SAEED KHAN -- IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USESAEED KHAN/AFP/Getty Images less

Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka celebrates after his victory against Spain's Rafael Nadal during the men's singles final on day 14 of the 2014 Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 26, ... more

-- It really wasn't that astonishing, not with Nadal badly hampered by a sore back he first felt during warm-ups. But take nothing away from Wawrinka, the last man standing in a tournament shackled by brutal heat, withdrawals and mid-match retirements. He's the first player to beat Nadal and Novak Djokovic en route to winning a major. Wawrinka hadn't won even a set against Nadal over their previous 12 matches, but he'd gained a clear edge in the final before Nadal's injury became disabling.

It's such a refreshing development to see Wawrinka holding a major trophy, the first man outside the Big Four (also including Roger Federer and Andy Murray) to pull off the feat since Juan Martin del Potro won the 2009 U.S. Open. And what a much-needed tribute to the one-handed backhand, such a rarity but still one of the most beautiful shots in tennis. "Man, I wish I had that thing," Pete Sampras marveled to reporters after watching Wawrinka's glorious run through the draw, although Sampras was no slouch in that department.

-- The plain truth from Sampras: "The serve-and-volley game has become a lost art. Everyone's just staying back and hitting the crap out of it. Roger has a little more variety to come in, slice it, chip and charge occasionally, but for the most part, it's just everyone staying back and throwing rocks. I think serve-and-volley still works. I'd be doing it, if I were still on tour. But you have to know how."

-- It's a sign of class and nobility when an injured player sticks it out to the very end, instead of calling off the match - particularly one of this magnitude. Nadal risked further injury to his back by staying on court, barely mobile at times, but he knew Wawrinka's victory would be cheapened by a partial score. Admirable stuff.

-- There was a fair amount of booing when Nadal left the court during the second set for medical treatment, and that was ridiculous; Nadal isn't one to "fake" anything. But it speaks to fans' growing exasperation over medical timeouts and "bathroom breaks" that constitute nothing more than mood-changers. What a pathetic charade: Hey, you're down a set and not playing well? Just leave the court. Change your clothes. Toss cold water on your face, have a little talk with your emotions, all the while hoping your opponent will have lost momentum. Failing that, just lie down on a courtside table for five minutes, get a nice massage and come out fresh as a spring colt.

I was hoping both tours would make some rule adjustments in this regard over the offseason (such as it is), but if anything, things are getting worse. The new tactic, unbelievably weak-minded and certainly an annoyance to television interests, is to warm up for the match and take a "bathroom break" before it even begins! Most recent violators: Grigor Dimitrov, Serena and Venus Williams.

-- Shots they wish they could take back: (1) Facing a match point against Wawrinka, Djokovic inexplicably came in behind his serve. It seemed like decent strategy when he was presented with a sitter forehand volley, but he yanked it wide to end the match. (2) Dimitrov would have won his third-set tiebreaker against Nadal by executing a simple forehand, but he missed it. Admitting he was "shattered" by his four-set loss, Dimitrov was in tears and barely able to speak at his news conference.

-- Strange but true: The top-ranking Swiss player is not Federer but Wawrinka, who soared into the No. 3 position with his victory.

-- Bay Area fans need no introduction to Dominika Cibulkova, who went all the way to the final before losing to Li Na. Cibulkova won the Bank of the West tournament at Stanford in July with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Agnieszka Radwanska, needing a fifth match point to finish the job with a cross-court backhand winner.

(Take note that this year's Stanford tournament has been pushed back to a July 28 start, three weeks after the end of Wimbledon and representing the first stop on the American summer circuit.)

-- Globalization in its purest form: In the latest women's rankings, the top 11 players come from 11 different countries.

-- It's hard to recall a women's major in which the issue of nerves became so widespread. Ana Ivanovic scored a life-changing victory over Serena Williams (hampered by a bad back) after years of emotionally unstable performances in big matches. And yet, going against the future (Canada's 19-year-old Eugenie Bouchard), Ivanovic went down 6-2 in the third.

Williams' exit appeared to clear the way for Victoria Azarenka, but the two-time defending champion essentially turned into a spectator against the creative brilliance of Radwanska, who won a quarterfinal third set 6-0 with one of the most dazzling all-court displays witnessed in recent years. And yet, Radwanska turned virtually lifeless while being routed 6-1, 6-2 by Cibulkova in the semifinals.

Even Maria Sharapova seemed to lose a bit of her competitive edge after falling behind Cibulkova in the third set of the fourth round, and it wasn't even close (6-1) at the finish. These twists and turns make for enthralling stuff, but there isn't a player on tour who brings her "A" game every time, free of mental breakdowns and phony exits from the court, in the great tradition of Chris Evert and Steffi Graf. Serena comes close, but her U.S. Open meltdowns (2009 and '11) leave her a bit short in this category.

-- There's not much to say about the tour's stance on "shrieking," other than to call it weak to the point of cowardice. It was reported in the fall that the WTA quietly had begun testing noise levels at tournaments, using on-court measuring devices, and in the words of CEO Stacey Allaster, "We are now moving into more of the data and the scientific stream" to gather more evidence. "We are committed to the strategy to drive excessive grunting out of the game, and we believe it's through the next generation."

Nonsense. Everyone knows it's too damn loud, period, not to mention on the edge of gamesmanship ("outright cheating," if you believe Martina Navratilova). A growing number of fans can't stand watching Sharapova or Azarenka, who howl to the skies on every shot, and at the very least, people are turning down the televised sound. Targeting juniors and pre-teen kids is essential, but it's also a way of stalling until the most hideous shriekers are out of the game. Meanwhile, that could take several years, and nobody has the courage to tell them to shut the hell up. So get ready for more inexcusable caterwauling.

-- Bouchard was clearly the story of the women's tournament, staging an exciting run to the semifinals before getting outclassed by Li 6-2, 6-4. There's an air of superiority about her (she comes from great wealth) but without arrogance or a sense of entitlement. She's well-spoken, grounded and level-headed, having decided to play out her junior career after turning 18, and her game seems to grow more powerful and aggressive by the month.

-- Perhaps best of all: When Bouchard unleashes a groundstroke, she doesn't make a sound.

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